anyone ever try this?

[mhughes165]

duno why everyone dogs the dana 30, i see them in XJ, wranglers all the time with 35s + and they seem to hold up fine, basically any axle with a lead foot is gonna break, just a mater of time, and the dana 30 is a good, cheap setup to get a SAS started, and dosent the dana 35 have more than 2 u-jounts, thats atleast 1 more part to fail

at the same time i see d30's fail with stock wheels and tires all the time, if u dump a shitload of money into it then itll hold like a d44

 

[bobbywalter]

the only easy cost effective bolt in is a d30. its simply the best option for a late model sla truck, unless you get the jeep 44.


it blows away the ttb stock offerings.


with less power then some of the jeeps i run with i waste shit left and right running a d35. the poor little 30's with the similar size tires last for years in some cases, and go alot farther in the same situations(mostly mud).

a d30 on 33's makes it further then my d35 on 35's in alot of rutted situations.


when i looked at it for what it is....i had to quit baggin on the d30. its better then any stock ranger offering.

 

[Bent Bolt]

D30 work in Heeps because they are much lighter than a Ranger.

 

[bobbywalter]

D30 work in Heeps because they are much lighter than a Ranger.

lighter?



more balanced yes...lighter....not the ones i wheel with. just seem lighter.

 

[PaleBlue90]

it will only be my light wheeler/DD so i think it will be alright

 

[rickcdewitt]

it always comes back to cost.the upgraded shafts and hub conversion is like 1700$,the axle tubes are thin and bend easy.you'll spend much less in the long run if you go bigger

 

[JohnnyO]

Much easier and simpler just to swap in an Explorer D35.
If you MUST have a solid front there are stronger units out there but you either have to mod them as mhughes165 said or get an Early Bronco unit, which will fit right in, however since they haven't been made for 31 years they are scarce as hen's teeth and very pricey when you find them. Also only the '76-'77 models had disc brakes.
I have not seen 351Ranger here for a while, he has a D44 from an IH Scout that he adapted disc brakes to, the width was right but the bolt pattern is different front to rear.

 

[Will]

First off, the D35 joints aren't under more stress than a straight axle. The one joint that never breaks is the one that the straight axles don't have. Most of the outers I've seen break were when someone has the tire to lock--many tires the tire is caught against the radius arm or in the body and something has to give. Or the axle beam isn't clearances and the shaft is putting a huge side load on the joint. I busted a center joint because my center yoke was binding--I was going up a steep hill with pedal in the moldy carpet and the wheels hanging. Once I ground it out, I never broke it again.

The failures most people have are poorly assembled axles. It takes some clearance work when you lift it. You need to cycle the suspension with the springs out and make sure the axle won't bind, and that your tires won't catch on the body or radius arms.

I definately think the Dana 30 is a good axle for a Ranger--it's about the same thing but less moving parts. An XJ is the same size. A D30 belongs in a Ranger. If you can run the same joints, why not? Like Bobby said--going from an SLA it's the way to go. We have a guy in the magazine with one in his Ranger. In fact, RenegadeLogger had one in his before he put the Mogs in. He said he never broke it and if you've wheeled with him, you know he would've it was easy to break.